Drying apparatus.



No. 632,943. Patented Sept. l2, I899. J. HOWE.

I nnvme APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 31, 1899.]

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No. 632,943 I Patented Sept. l2, I899.

J. HOWE.

DRYING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 31, 1899.)

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NlTED STATES P TENT Orricn.

JEREMIAH HOWE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DRYlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part' of LettersPatent No. 632,943, dated September 12, 1899.

Application filed March 31,1899. fierial No. 711,221, (1% d l.)

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH HOWE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit,

in the county of \Vayne and State of Michigan,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n- Drying Apparatus, of which the following 1s a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin s.

The invention relates to a novel type of drying apparatus particularly designed for use in drying copper sheets or plates; and the essential object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive apparatus of With this object in View my. invention consists in the novel type of drying apparatus and the construction, arrangement, and combination of its various parts, all as more fully hereinafter shown and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the apparatus. Fig, 2 is a side elevation thereof. broken away, of a part of the apparatus. Fig. at is a plan view of the same part of said apparatus as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the washing-tanks.

The letter A designates a framework consisting of standards 13 and C, and side beams D, connecting the standards. The frame is formed, preferably, of metal, the beams being angle-irons, as plainly shown. Upon the standards 0 are uprights E and laterally-extending plates F. In said plates are j ournaled Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly opposite sides a of each pan are curved in such manner as to conform to the external contour of a portion of each roller, so .that a substantially flat bed is formed consisting of rollers and heater-pans, over which the sheets are adapted to pass. The adjusting mechanism for the pans comprises, essentially, threaded bolts 6, which extend through one of the faces of the angle-irons or beams D, and nuts f. The pans are provided with lugs b, adapted to rest upon the free ends of the bolts, as shown, and the proper adjustment of the pans is made by raisingor lowering the bolts and locking the same by means of the nut fin the desired position. Each roller of the series of rollers M is journaled at its ends in a block, such as O, and this block in turn is adj ustably secured upon the beams D by means of threaded bolts g.

Depending from each pan and comm unicating with the interior thereof is a steam-supply pipe h and a steam-outlet pipe i, which constitutes the exhaust for. the steam. -A common steam-supply pipe P connect-s the series IOf supply-pipes of the several pans and is connected in turn to a suitable source of steam-supply, while a common pipe Q communicates with the series of exhaust-pipes 7..

plates between the rolls. Within the upper of the upper rolls, and upon the outer ends of the shafts which project beyond one side beam of the upper frame, are a series of large gear-wheels V. Upon the shafts of the lower rolls are secured a series of smaller gear-pinions IV, with which the larger gear-wheels are adapted to mesh. Theopposite ends of the upper and lower rolls are provided with gearwheels X, which are adapted to mesh with each other, forming a gear connection between the rolls. Upon the shaft of one of the large gear-wheels, such as A, is fixedly secured a drive-pulley B, which pulley is belted to a suitable motor.

Arranged in front of the apparatus just described is an endless carrier 0, and at the other end of the said apparatus is the drier D, provided with an endless carrier E, which extends entirely therethrough and at some distance beyond. In construction the drier comprises a housing formed, preferably, of brick, having a heating-chamber F therein, in the upper and lower portions of which are arranged heating-pipes G, between which sets of pipes the drier-carrier is adapted to pass. The drier is likewise provided with doors H, adapted to slide vertically in suitable ways formed in the housing. To each door is connected a weighted cord I, which passes over pulleys J, permitting the door to be readily raised or lowered, as desired.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The wet copper sheets when taken from a washing-tank, such as K, are placed upon the endless carrier 0, from whence they pass to the rubber-coated rolls. Before passing between these rolls they are sprayed. In passing between the rolls just referred to the greater part of the water is removed by means of said rolls and the plates are delivered upon the first of the series of heater-pans L. The plates are then moved along from one pan to another by means of the rollers between the pans and are heated by conduction to a high temperature. To obtain a maximum amount of heat and likewise to insure the sheets passing readily from one pair of rolls to another, I provide a series of covers Y, arranged one above each pan, the cov ers being supported upon the shafts U by means of straps or loops Z. After leaving the heating-pans the sheets pass directly into the drier D and are drawn through said drier by means of the endless carrier E. The sheets are here heated by radiation, and while the temperature of said sheets or plates is maintained at the same degree as when they left the portion of the apparatus preceding the drier the air having access to the opposite sides of the plate nearly dries the same. 'As

soon as the sheets pass from without the drier into contact with the air they are dried by evaporation due to the cooling of the sheet,

so that no oxidation takes place. The sheet is therefore bright and not discolored and is in readiness to be shipped or stored, as may be desired.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a drying apparatus, the combination of a frame, a series of separated heater-pans upon said frame, a series of combined covers and guides pivotally supported above each heater-pan, a series of pairs of rollers, each pair being rotatably mounted between two adjacent heater-pans, and means for driving the rollers.

2. In a drying apparatus, the combination of a supportingframe, a single series of horizontally-arranged heater-pans spaced upon said frame, a single series of rollers, each rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane between the meeting sides of two adjacent pans, an independent roller-supporting frame arranged above the heater-pans, and a roller in said frame above each lower roller, a gear connection between each pair of rollers, a similar connection between the rollers in each pair, and means for driving the gear-train.

3. In a drying apparatus, the combination of a supporting-frame, a single series of horizontally-arranged and separated heater-pans upon said frame, a series of lower rollers rotatably mounted upon the frame, one intermediate each pair of heater-pans, a series of upper rollers arranged one over each lower roller, a drive connection between each vertical pair of rollers on one side of the supporting-frame, a gear-pinion upon each lower roller upon the opposite frame side, a gearwheel intermediate and meshing with each adjacent pair of gear-pinions, and means for driving the gear-wheels.

4. A continuous furnace for drying metallic sheets, comprising a section, constructed to heat the sheets by conduction, consisting of a supporting-frame, a series of heater-pans thereon and a series of pairs of driven rollers journaled upon the frame, adapted to move the sheets across the series of pans, and a complementary furnace-section for completing the heating of the sheets by radiation, 'consisting of ahousing immediately adjacent to one end of the series of heater-pans, an endless carrier within the housing adapted to receive the sheets from said pans and convey the former through the housing, and a heat ing apparatus within thehousing and spaced from one side of the carrier.

5. A continuous furnace for drying metallic sheets, comprising a section, constructed to heat the sheets by conduction, consisting of a supporting-frame, a series of heater-pans thereon and a series of pairs of driven rollers journaled upon the frame for moving the sheets across the series of pans, and a complementary furnace-Section for completing the heating of the sheets by radiation, conrier and at some distance from the latter, sub sisting of a housing immediately adjacent to stantially as and for the purpose described. IO

one end of the series of heater-pans, an end- In testimony whereof I affix my signature less carrier within and extending through the in presence of two witnesses.

5 housing and projecting out some distance be- ,4 JEREMIAH HOYVE.

yond the latter, and a heating apparatus lVitnesses: within the housing, comprising two series of M. B. ODOGHERTY,

pipes arranged one above and below the car- II. 0. SMITH. 

